Thai Expression of the Day: Banana Banana

Bananas can be found everywhere in Thailand throughout the year. Thai people are grown up with bananas. Thai parents believe that feeding infants banana will make the baby “grow fast and healthy.” Many families continue the custom of using banana as a baby’s first food. I also eat bananas as much as I eat rice.

It seems like bananas are part of Thai life, we even include bananas in our expressions. There are several sayings widely used in everyday life related to bananas.

Banana in Thai is กล้วย  /glûai/

When talking about something that is very easy to be done, as in English expression says ‘a piece of cake’ Thai people would say;

[1]  เรื่องกล้วยๆ /rûeang glûai glûai/ or ของกล้วยๆ / kăwng glûai glûai/

เรื่อง / rûeang/ means story,   ของ / kăwng/ means things.

You can also just say กล้วยกล้วย glûai glûai

For example;

Prae : Mod, can you make Pad Thai?

มดทำผัดไทยเป็นไหม/Mod tam pàt tai bpen mái?/

Mod:  กล้วยกล้วย /glûai glûai/  Piece of cake!

 

Interesting Note: There are other expressions that mean the same thing as  กล้วยกล้วย glûai glûai; they are หมูๆ /mŭu mŭu/ which literally means ‘pig pig’, and เด็กๆ /dèk dèk/ which literally means ‘kid kid’. : )

 

[2] ง่ายเหมือนปอกกล้วยเข้าปาก   /ngâai mŭean bpàwk glûai kâo bpàak/

 ง่าย  /ngâai/ easy 

เหมือน /mŭean/ as

 ปอก /bpàwk/ peel

กล้วย /glûai/ banana

เข้า /kâo/ put in   

ปาก /bpàak/ mouth

English Translation : As easy as peeling banana and put in the mouth

Example;

เรียนภาษาไทยง่ายเหมือนปอกกล้วยเข้าปาก

/ rian paa-săa tai ngâai mŭean bpàwk glûai  kâo bpàak/

Studying Thai is easy like peeling banana and put in the mouth.

 

There is also a metaphor  ขาวเหมือนหยวกกล้วย  /kăao mŭean yùak glûai/

ขาว /kăao/ white

เหมือน /mŭean/ as

หยวกกล้วย /yùak glûai/ banana stalk

This expression is used to compare someone who has a light skin.

Example:

ลำยองอยากมีผิวขาวเหมือนหยวกกล้วยก็เลยใช้ครีมบำรุงผิวขาวทุกวัน

Lam Yong yàak mii pĭu kăao mŭean yùak glûai gâw-loei chai kriim bam-rung pĭu kăao túk wan

Lam Yong wants to have light skin as banana stalk so she uses whitening body lotion everyday.

 

Hope you find this post useful. Try to the expressions with your Thai friends, they will surely smile.

 

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